Beet-harvester.



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PATENTED FEB. 5, l 07. W. H. MOCALL. 9 BEET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED sBPT.2B.19o6.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[NVE/V TOR.

Xw @u A TTORNE YS No. 843,412. PATBNTED PEB. 5, 1907.

W. H; MOCALL.

BBET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED SBPT.28. 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

[NVE/WOR;

W/TNESSES;

l a ATTORNEYS narran srnrns PATENT OFFICE.

BEET-HARVESTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 5, 1907.

Application filed September 28, 1906. Serial No. 336,656.

To ai?, whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM I-I. MCOALL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New Windsor, in the county of Weld and State ofColorado, have invented a new and useful Beet-Harvester, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to beet-harvesters; and its obj ect is to providea machine of this character having means of novel construction forremoving beets one at a time from a row and for hoisting them to a pointfrom which they may be conveniently discharged into an accompanyingwagon or receptacle provided for them.

A still further object is to provide a beetpulling device which can bequickly adjusted in relation to the ground and easily thrown into or outof operative relation with the traction or driving wheels of themachine.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists ofcertain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, whichwill be hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of theinvention.

In saidrlrawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete machine,one of the traction-wheels and the clutch being removed and the nettingbeing removed from the pulling-arms. Fig. 2 is a plan view of themachine, the netting being removed from the pulling-arms. Fig. 3 is anenlarged section through one of the traction-wheels and the adjoiningparts of the mechanism. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of one of thedigging devices, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section throughthe upper portion of the elevator.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 1 aretraction-wheels loosely mounted on the end portions of an axle 2, thecentral portion of which is disposed as shown at 3, while the endportions or trunnions formed by said axle constitute supports forsleeves 4, which are mounted to rotate upon the axle between thetraction-wheels and the depending portion 3. Each sleeve carries a gear5 and 5a, respectively, and has another gear 6 feathered thereon, saidlast-mentioned gear being formed with a collar 7, in which is arrangedan annular groove 8. A forked arm 9 straddles the collar 7 and is seatedwithin the groove 3, and this arm has a lateral extension 10, which ispivotally connected to a lever 11. This lever is mounted on a skeletonframe 12 of any suitable contour and which constitutes the body of themachine. The hubs of the wheels 1 are formed with clutch-faces 13,adapted to be engaged by corresponding faces 14, formed on the outerends of the hubs of the gears 6, so that when the levers 11 are shiftedin certain directions the gears 6 are moved into operative relation.Vith the traction-wheels, and vice versa. A platform 15 is arrangedupon the rear portion of the frame 12, and supported above this platformby standards 16 is a frame 17, preferably made up of angle-irons andhaving shafts 1S and 19 journaled adjacent the upper and the lower ends,respectively, of said irons. Each of these shafts carriessprocket-wheels 20, on which are mounted chains 21, adapted to ride uponthe angle-irons 17 and connected by upstanding slats 22, preferablyformed of angle-irons. Another sprocket 23 is arranged on the lowershaft 19 and is driven by means of a chain 24 from a sprocket 25,arranged upon a shaft 26, which is journaled on the frame 12 and carriesa gear 27, meshing at all times with the gear 5 on one of the sleeves 4.

The gear 5L hereinbefore referred to is beveled and meshes at all timeswith a bevelgear 28, arranged at one end of a shaft 29, which isconnected, preferably by means of a universal joint 30, with a gear 31.This lastmentioned gear is journaled at one side of a frame 32,supported by standards 33 above the rear portion of the frame 12 andextending under the upper end of the elevatorframe 17. An endless belt34 is mounted within the frame 32 and passes over rollers 35, disposedwithin opposite portions of the frame and one of which has a gear 36rotatable therewith and meshing with the gear 31. The conveyor 34 andits frame 32 extend a suitable distance beyond one side of the frame 12,so that material carried by the belt 34 may be discharged into a wagonor receptacle at one side of the frame 12.

It is of course understood that the elevator extends downward to a pointclose to the ground, and this elevator is adapted to receive beets orother vegetables to be harvested from a pulling device of novelconstruction. This pulling device consists of paral- IOO lel arms 37,pivotally mounted upon the axleY 2. Said arms are connected at theirlfront ends, as shown at 38, and are adapted to be normally supported bya .crossebar 39, con.- necting the sides of the frame 12. Standards 40are arranged upon the sides of the frame 12 and have curved slots 41therein, the

fabric guard 57, and as soon as they are deposited upon the elevatorthey will be conveyed thereby upward to the carrier or conveyer 34,-which will in turn discharge the vbeets at the side of the machine. Itwill be .readily seen that motion is transmitted to the pulling devicesthrough the gears 6 and curves of said slots being concentric withthev-vand that the gears 5 and 27 transmit rogears 6. Loosely mountedwithin these slots is a shaft 42, having upstanding karms 43 looselymounted thereon, each of which is pivotally connected to an arm 44,rigidly connected, as by means of a brace 45, to a lever 46. Theselevers are fulcrumed upon the sides of the frame 12 and carry pawls 47,which are adapted to engage toothed segT ments 48, so as to lock thelevers in any po? sition to which they may be adjusted. The arms 37 havesleeves 49 slidably mounted on them, and the shaft 42 extends throughears 50, arranged on these sleeves, and the arms 43, hereinbeforereferred to, are formed with and extend from these ears. A gear 51 isdisposed at each end of the shaft 42, and these gears mesh with thegears 6.

Secured to and rotatable with the shaft 42 is a disk 52, having arms 53radiating therefrom atI desired intervals. Each arm terminates at itsouter end in tines 54, which are flattened and pointed, as shownparticularly in Fig. 4. Curved guard-arms 55 extend from the sides ofthe arms 53 at points adjoining the tines 54, and another arm 56 extendsforward from each arm 53 at a point equidistant from the arms 55. Acoarse metal fabric 57 is secured over the arms 55 and 56 and isfor thepurpose hereinafter set forth.

A cross-beam 58 is pivoted to the front end of the frame 12 and hasdepending portions 59 at the ends thereof, in which are ournaled smalltraction-wheels 60. Tongues 61 preferably extend forward from the beam58 to facilitate the attachment of draft-animals tol the machine.Casters 62 are connected to the rear end of the frame 12 for supportingthe same while the machine is in operation.

It is believed that the operation of this machine will be readilyunderstood from the foregoing description when read in connection withthe accompanying drawings. I/Vhen the machine is drawn forward, thebeets, which are planted at regular intervals, will be successivelyloosened by the tines 54 and the guard-arms 55, and as these tines andarms are disposed at acute angles to each other the beets will begrasped thereby and pulled from the loosened ground and then conveyedupward in a circle, the fabric 57 serving to prevent the beets fromdroping out of position between the tines until a predetermined pointhas been reached. Vhen these tines are brought into position above thelower end of the elevator, the beets Will be free to slip therefrom andout of the tary motion to the elevator, while the gears 5a and 28transmit rotary motion from the traction wheels to the conveyer 34. Asheretofore explained, by properly manipulatng the levers 11 the clutchmembers 13 and 14 .can be thrown into or out of engagement, so as tocontrol the operation of the en` tire mechanism. 0f course when theclutch members are disengaged none of the mechanism carried by themachine will operate. Either of the clutches can be operatedindependently of the other, and by manipulating the levers 46 the shaft42 can be adjusted vertically within the slots 41, this being perFmissible in view of the fact that the arms 44 are rigidly connected withthe levers 46 and the sleeves 49 have a sliding connection with the arms37.

Vhile this machine has been described as a beet-harvester, it is to beunderstood that by slightly modifying the construction of the pullingdevices it can be used for harvesting potatoes and like vegetablegrowths.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In aharvesting-machine the combination with a portable frame; of a rotatableseries of pulling devices each comprising diverging tines, and meansadjacent and movable with the tines for holding material engaged by thetines. 4

2. In a harvesting-machine the combina- IOO tion with a portable frameof a rotatable series of pulling devices each comprising divergingtines, and a screen disposed adjacent and movable with the tines.

3. In a harvesting-machine the combination with a portable frame of arotatable series of pulling devices comprising diverging tines, and anarched screen movable with the tines and constituting a guard.

4. A pulling device for harvesting-machines comprising an arm, divergingtines extending from one end thereof, V and an arched screen disposedupon said arm adjacent the tines and constituting a guard.

5. In a harvesting-machine the combination with a portable frame; of arotatable series of pulling devices comprising diverging tines,guard-arms adjacent thereto, and a fabric guard arranged upon the arms.

6. In a harvesting-machine the combination with a portable frame of arotatable series of pulling devices comprising diverging tines,guard-arms. adjacent thereto, a fabricguard arranged upon the arms, anelevator carried by the frame, and means operated by the movement of theframe for actuating the pulling devices and elevator, the fabric guardof said devices being adapted to direct material from the tines onto theelevator.

7. In a harvesting-machine the combination with a rotatable disk; of aplurality of arms radiating therefrom7 diverging tines extending fromthe end of each arm, guardarms extending from opposite portions of eacharm and adjacent the tines, and an intermediate guard-arm extending fromeach radiating arm.

8. In a harvesting-machine the combination with a rotatable disk; of aplurality of arms radiating therefrom, diverging tines extending fromthe end of each arm, guardarms extending from opposite portions of eacharm and adjacent the tines, an intermediate guard-arm extending fromeach radiating arm, and an open fabric guard arranged upon the arms.

9. A pulling device for harvesting-machines comprising an arm, divergingtines extending from one end thereof, diverging curved guard-armsextending from the firstmentioned arm and adjacent the tines, anintermediate guard-arm7 and an open fabric guard disposed upon theguard-arms and open at one end.

In testimony that l claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM H. MCCALL.

Witnesses:

NORMAN G. HALLEY, LoUIs B. MosLnY.

